Watershed

Abstract

1959 was a watershed for the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Not only was it the year of Brubeck’s most famous creative project, Time Out, but it also marked the midpoint of the “classic” Quartet with Paul Desmond, which was formed in 1951 and disbanded in 1967. This chapter discloses the specific factors involved in the production of Time Out. These include early concert performances of the repertoire, the recording sessions, and decisions concerning the album’s title, cover art, and liner notes. The other trajectory followed here concerns several important matters that were uppermost in Brubeck’s life and career at that time. Chief among them were an enormous amount of domestic and international travel, a high-profile stand against racism and segregation in the South, an all-out effort to finish his musical and see it produced on Broadway, and a series of performances with the New York Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall.